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Andy Summers
Andrew James Somers (born 31 December 1942), known professionally as Andy Summers, is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band the Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated with other musicians, composed film scores, and exhibited his photography in galleries. -
Sting
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 2 October 1951), known professionally as Sting, is an English musician and actor. He was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for new wave rock band the Police from 1977 to 1984. He launched a solo career in 1985, and has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age, and worldbeat in his music. -
Steward Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He rose to prominence as the drummer of the English rock band the Police. He has also produced film and video game soundtracks and written various pieces of music for ballet, opera, and orchestra. His composing work includes the films Wall Street, Good Burger, and We Are Your Friends; the TV series The Equalizer, Dead Like Me, and The Amanda Show; and the video games Alone in the Dark 4 and the Spyro series. -
Sting is an alias
Sting (so nicknamed because of his habit of wearing a black-and-yellow striped sweater resembling a wasp) -
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Formation
In late November 1976, while on tour with the British progressive rock band Curved Air in Newcastle upon Tyne, the band's American drummer, Stewart Copeland, met and exchanged phone numbers with ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting, who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit. On 12 January 1977, Sting relocated to London and, on the day of his arrival, sought out Copeland for a jam session. -
Origins
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line- up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner), Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. -
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Music style
The Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. A "power trio," The Police are known as a new wave and post-punk band, with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre. -
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Awards
1982: Best British Group
1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music 1981: Best Rock Instrumental Performance
1982: Best Rock Instrumental Performance
1982: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
1984: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal 1984: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal 1984: International Album of the Year
1986: Best Music Video, Long Form -
Final
In 1984, at the peak of their popularity, the Police dissolved. Copeland went on to score numerous motion pictures, while Summers recorded adventurous music, including two albums with fellow guitarist Robert Fripp. Sting became an extremely popular soloist, revisiting his jazz roots (accompanied by such accomplished musicians as saxophonist Branford Marsalis and keyboardist Kenny Kirkland) and later incorporating Latin and folk influences. -
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Legacy
In 2003, The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: In 2008, Q magazine named Synchronicity among the top 10 British Albums of the 1980s